FAQ Visa & Residence Permit

On this page you find more background information on the visa regulations as well as instructions on what to do in various situations.

  • Do I need an entry visa and/or residence permit?

     

    Entry Visa

    Residence Permit

    EEA, Switzerland

    No

    No

     

    Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea or USA

    No

    Yes, for stays of 90 days or more

    All others

    Yes

    Yes, for stays of 90 days or more

  • I already have a residence permit for the Netherlands or another European country. Do I still need to go through the visa process?

    If you already have a Dutch or EEA residence permit, you still need to go through the process. The reason is that we need to verify your permit and make the necessary arrangements for you accordingly. This also applies if you are transferring from another institution within the Netherlands (e.g. another Dutch university or company) to the University of Twente. Keep in mind that transferring students need to provide the same documents as other students applying for an entry visa and/or residence permit. When all necessary documents have been received, the University of Twente will submit your application to the IND.

  • Residence permit when changing study programme

    When changing or switching study programmes within the University of Twente after arrival will not have consequences for your IND residence permit. However, please inform Student Services about your change of study programme. Please consider the MoMi law when thinking about switching programmes: it is only possible if you have achieved satisfactory academic progress in your current program.

  • Residence permit & study progress

    The Dutch government passed a migration law: the Modern Migration Policy Act (MoMi). This law allows faster and easier immigration procedures for highly-skilled students. It requires all non-EEA students with a residence permit for study purposes at the University of Twente (UT) to achieve satisfactory academic progress. This means that you must obtain at least 50% of the EC that you can acquire during an academic year in order to keep your residence permit for the next academic year. If you are in a Pre-Master or Foundation Year program, you need to succesfully finish this program within one year to be able to continue your study at UT. These programs can only be done once.

    More information can be found on the Student Counselling Service website.

  • How do I extend my residence permit?

    When your current residence permit is about to expire within 90 days, we will send you an email with instructions on how to apply for an extension. Please note that it is not possible to apply for an extension earlier than within this 90 days of your current residence permit expiring.

    Note that the expiration date mentioned on your residence permit card is an “until” date. Meaning that your stay will be illegal from this date on. So if your residence permit is valid until the 30th of November, you should leave the day before or take steps to extend your current permit.

    The extension of residence permits of ITC students will be handled and monitored by ITC Student Affairs.

  • Change of address

    It is a prerequisite to keep your address up to date in order for you to maintain your residence permit, as the Dutch Immigration Office (IND) uses the Municipal Personal Records Database to check your details of residence. Hence, it is of utmost importance for you to notify the municipality of your change of address as soon as possible. Please do this by sending an email to aangifteverhuizing@enschede.nl (only if you move within the municipality of Enschede). Make sure you mention your full name, old address and new address.

    Also, always keep your address up to date in StudieLink.

  • I lost my residence permit. What do I do now?

    If your residence permit is stolen or lost, please report this to the local police as soon as possible. The police will need to record your statement. Also you need this statement in order to apply for a new one.

    Then please prepare the following documents:

    (1) copy of police statement of theft

    (2) copy of passport

    (3) official proof of registration into Municipal Records Database (‘uittreksel bevolkingsregister’).

    (4) Filled in and signed IND form: https://ind.nl/en/Forms/6013.pdf (please disregard the last page, which is the photo form. This is not needed.)

    Send all these documents, after you made copies for yourself, to the IND by regular mail (the address is on page 8 of the form you are filling in)

  • Cancellation Residence Permit

    The University of Twente is your sponsor for the duration of your study. We are obliged by law to cancel your residence permit after you have graduated or stopped studying. After you have de-registered from UT in Studielink, the visa officers will be notified. We will then proceed to cancel your permit in the following month. Please note there is a difference in the reason for cancellation; after graduation the IND grants an extra three months to finish your affairs, or until your permit expires if it is less than three months. Should you decide to stop studying then you need to leave straight away. The same goes for a cancellation because of insufficient study progress.